Update: Wednesday, March 9, 2:51 p.m.
Mediation between Minneapolis educators and the district was scheduled to resume at 10:30 Wednesday morning, the first such meeting since talks broke off Monday evening.
But by Wednesday afternoon, both the union and district reported that the meeting was brief and unfruitful.
In an update posted to its website, Minneapolis Public Schools said it had expected mediation to last all day, and hoped to meet around the clock. But the Bureau of Mediation Services, the state agency mediating the talks, informed the district of a change of schedule. Mediation lasted for just 90 minutes this morning.
Talks are scheduled to resume Thursday with educational support professionals. “The mediator has not notified us of any meetings currently scheduled with our teachers,” the district wrote on its negotiations webpage. On the webpage, it also provided side-by-side comparisons of district and union proposals.
In a rally at the Capitol, Greta Callahan, the teacher chapter president of the union, blamed the district for the impasse.
“We showed up at the table at 10:30 today, and they said we have nothing for you,” Callahan said, drawing boos from the crowd of teachers. “They keep forgetting who’s in control now. And it’s not them anymore.”